The World

We live in the midst of an enemy and it is called the World. When I say we, I mean people who are Jesus followers. King David recognized the same problem even before Jesus came. Listen to the way he describes the difference between the World and God in Psalm 57 verses 4 and 5.

My soul is in the midst of lions;
I lie down amid fiery beasts—
the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows,
whose tongues are sharp swords.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
Let your glory be over all the earth!

We are surrounded by the World and here, David calls the inhabitants lions and fiery beasts. David is a poet and poets use symbols to tell us things. Hebrew poetry would often explain the first part of a verse in the second part.

The explanation is that these lions and fiery beasts are people. The World is made up of people, the children of man – we aren’t talking about the devil here. They are enemies that attack with their mouths full of teeth that are like arrows. Their tongues are like sharp swords.

Their first attack on Jesus followers is they try to destroy with words. Those words often hurt. They may be slander, gossip, or philosophies, empty deceit, or human traditions according to Apostle Paul.

Guess what! We don’t have to fight the way the World does. I think that is why David said he lies down in their midst. He isn’t fighting. He’s taking a nap. Verse five explains why we don’t fight in the same way as the World and that is because God is exalted above the heavens and His glory is over all the earth.

When we know God is sovereign even over the wickedness that is going on in the World, we can be at rest. That doesn’t mean we never defend ourselves or carry the battle to the World. But when we do, it is by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The message of Jesus dying for our sins, buried, raised on the third day and coming back again will prevail and give us peace in the World.

If you don’t have peace through Jesus, just follow one or more of these links to find out how.

https://tinyurl.com/short-gospel

https://tinyurl.com/one-verse

https://tinyurl.com/Gospel-video

The World is against Jesus followers, but Jesus followers always have peace. #lions #fierybeasts #Gospel #evilworld 

 

Your Purpose in Life

Do you have any idea what your purpose in life is? Why are you here on this earth, in this country, at this time in history? If you don’t know, then do what King David did in Psalm 57:2

I cry out to God Most High,
to God who fulfills his purpose for me.

What is this? David is saying that his purpose is what God has in store for him. My purpose and your purpose in life is not to get what we want. It isn’t to have the ideal life. It isn’t to have all the good things in life. No, our purpose is determined by God and He will fulfil it. He will make it happen.

David knows there will be opposition in this world. Satan will try to divert us from God’s purpose. So, he adds this in Psalm 57:3.

He will send from heaven and save me;
He will put to shame him who tramples on me.
God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness!

God’s purpose for you and me, whom He has chosen, is to be saved. God sent Jesus from heaven to save us. Satan tries to trample us, but Jesus trampled on Satan and disarmed him when He died on the cross.

Because of God’s steadfast love and faithfulness, He has a purpose for us and that is to become more and more like Jesus as we go though this life and then be with Him forever in heaven.

Have you cried out to God Most High for salvation through Jesus Christ? If not, you can. Just follow one or more of these links.

https://tinyurl.com/short-gospel

https://tinyurl.com/one-verse (video)

https://tinyurl.com/Gospel-video

God’s most important message to us.

 

God’s most important message to us summed up in one verse. #wagesofsin #allhavesinned #freegift #eternallife #death #repent #trustjesus

Would you like to know God’s most important message to us? This is summed up in one verse in the Bible, Romans 6:23. Let me draw you a picture of what the verse means.

This box represents what we can find out from this verse.

We are represented by this person. Notice, we are running away from God.

The verse starts off with “The wages of sin is death.”  What does that mean?

Wages are what is owed to someone who has done some kind of work.

It is what we do so let’s put that under us.

The next word is sin. Sin is any attitude or action that is against God and misses the standard of His perfect moral purity.

We have all sinned in big or little ways, so we’ll put sin under us.

Next is death. Death represents the great separation that exists between us and God.

We’ll put death under us also.

This now represents us on one side of cliff and God on the other.

Let’s continue with the verse, “but the free gift of God”

The word but is very important. It tells us that there is a dramatic difference in this part of the verse.

We’ll put that word at the bottom of the chasm.

Now look at “free gift.” The gift is free and that means there is nothing we can do to earn it. We can only receive it.

It is a gift that comes from God.

We’ll put free gift under God and Of God under God also to make sure we remember the gift comes from God.

Now the verse continues to explain that the free gift is eternal life.

Since the gift of eternal life is from God, we’ll put it under God as well.

Now look at the difference between the two sides of chasm.

On one side we are running way from God because of our sin and eventually, we will receive the wages of our sin which is death.

On the other side is God who has a gift of eternal life. In between is that word “but.”

Now the rest of the verse reveals how we get the gift. It says, “In Christ Jesus our Lord.”

This gift of eternal life is in Christ Jesus. He is the one that gives us the gift of eternal life.

Didn’t I just say God has the gift? How is it that Jesus gives us the gift?

He is Lord. That means that Jesus is God in the flesh, and He never sinned.

That is why He and He alone could pay our debt for our sins when He died on the cross.

Now there is a way for us to receive the gift of eternal life from God.

But we must repent from our sins. That means we must turn around in our thinking and follow that path to God through Jesus Christ.

To do that we must trust in Jesus’ death for our sins and obey Him as your Lord.

If God has given you a desire to trust Jesus alone, give your life to Him, and obey Him, then

Pray with me.

Dear Jesus, I know I’m a sinner. Thank you for dying for my offenses. Forgive me. I trust in you alone to save me. Come into my life and guide me.

Read more about God’s salvation at https://tinyurl.com/short-gospel.

God’s most important message to us summed up in one verse. #wagesofsin #allhavesinned #freegift #eternallife #death #repent #trustjesus

Wages of sin, all have sinned, free gift, eternal life, death, repent, trust Jesus